The Biruchiy contemporary art project ( ) is a leading residence of contemporary art in Ukraine.Bogdanovych, E. Liberty island // Korrespondent (Kyiv). September 26, 2013. It was founded in 2006 by the Association of Contemporary Art Researchers. The project is held annually in May and September on the Byriuchyi Island, located in the Sea of Azov.Храпачева, М. Арт-полуостров // Капитал. 2014. № 131 (308). С. 22.
Since 2016, offsite residences have been operating in other European countries (Poland, 2016–2017,International art residence. Ukrainians' new art residence in Europe. Wywrota (Wrocław). June 2016. 2023–2025; Montenegro, 2019;"Exodus. Biruchiy 019. Montenegro" international exhibition opens. Analitika (Podgorica). August 17, 2019. France, 2024), since 2025, a branch has been operating in Italy. 19 seasons of Biruchiy contemporary art project were attended by 264 artists and 14 art groups from 22 countries. A part of participants are heading to other residencies in Italy (2014–2017),Zonarte program 2014. Artissima 21, Turin, 7–9 November 2014 . Zonarte (Turin). November 2014. United States (2017–2018).thetOOth&therOOt present Armageddon. Flux Factory (New York City). July 22, 2017.
Project background
Byriuchyi Island (Ukraine)
. The Ukrainian initiative of the beginning of the 21st century was founded by the art production manager Gennadiy Kozub and the artist . In 2006, it was decided to declare Zaporizhia Oblast to be an art territory. Byriuchyi Island (Zolotiy Bereg recreation centre),Sirchina, M. "It is not only in your country that you are unique. There is no such thing even in Europe." Fakty i Kommentarii (Kyiv). January 11, 2014. which is far away from civilization, was chosen to be the project residency. Artists came to Byriuchyi for two weeks in September. Since 2014, two-week gatherings have been held also in May.Byriuchyi Island hosts connoisseurs of contemporary art. Podrobnosti (Inter channel). May 8, 2014.
Biruchiy 009 holds an outdoor concert performed by the French cellist and composer Dominique de Williencourt.Professor of the Paris Conservatory will speak on the spit of the Sea of Azov. Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. September 8, 2009. Biruchiy M Sound Lab was launched at Biruchiy 012 (DJ Sokolov, DJ Mishukov, DJ Expert, /, DJ Derbastler). Within the framework of Biruchiy 013, for the first time not only paintings and art objects but also contemporary sculpture was created. During Biruchiy 014, it was decided to change its format by creating an experimental platform for several curators. Due to the hostilities, it was possible to hold only three out of six scheduled curator projects; they were later combined into one big project.Brezhneva, D. Sketches of Biruchiy project: work in progress. (Kyiv). September 19, 2014.
In 2015, the Open Group carried out an international performative project "1000-km view." Riding a catamaran, the participants covered 1000-km distance of "Open Gallery Ukraine – the Netherlands" from the Stryi River to Byriuchyi Island. The new project of Biruchiy was developed as collaboration between curator Irina Leifer (Amsterdam) and Mariya Lanko and Lyzaveta German's team (Kyiv), Open Art Route Zuidoost (Amsterdam) within Tandem Ukraine program (an initiative of the European Cultural Foundation and German non-governmental organization MitOst).Open Gallery Ukraine – the Netherlands: 1000 km view. Tandem (initiative of European Cultural Foundation and MitOst e.V.; Amsterdam, Berlin). 2015.
In 2016, the main residence got modern exposition space. The final exposition of Biruchiy 016 was demonstrated in a new gallery designed like an ancient Greek temple. Its musical component has gained an independent format. An experimental ethno-electronic festival called Biruchiy Fest was held in September 16–18, 2016. Among participating bands and performers, there were , Sun Groove, and Dub Wire. The British Council introduced an arts exchange program, called "SWAP: UK/Ukraine artist residence programme,"British Council launches SWAP: UK/Ukraine artist residence programme. The Calvert Journal, edition Calvert 22 Foundation (London). June 10, 2016. between United Kingdom and Ukraine; the first item of the program was on the residence on Byriuchyi Island.SWAP: UK/Ukraine artist residence programme. British Council in Ukraine. 2016. The British artist Jamie Fitzpatrick, chosen by the program, joined the participants.Six emerging UK artists selected for artistic residencies. British Council in Ukraine. 2016.
In September 2017, about 30 participants of the project organized a voluntary environmental initiative. The volunteers comprised artists from Ukraine, Russia, Italy and Germany, art critic, curators and guests of the residency. The volunteers cleaned up trash left by tourists, from a 10-km area of the seashore near the Azov-Syvash National Nature Park (from to Byriuchyi Island spit).European artists organized a cleanup of the Sea of Azov coast. Television Service of News (1+1 TV channel). September 14, 2017.
The Coloring project, introduced in May 2018, brought together 60 artists. Each participant was given a coloring album with 12 outline views of the residency. Coloring pages project is designed as an interactive semi-finished product, which invites participants to put familiar landscapes in color not spending time on their layout.Stone sausage and coloring pages for adults: Kyiv Art Week festival opened. (Kyiv). May 24, 2018.
RESÒ Lab (Italy) . In 2013, RESÒ Lab was initiated in collaboration with RESÒ, International Network for Artist Residencies and Educational Programs in Piedmont (Italy). It is a long-term participant exchange project between BiruchiyRESÒ traveling box. Art & Education (New York City). October 10, 2014. and leading Italian art foundations.Residence in&out. Promoting international mobility of artists . Foundation for modern and contemporary art CRT (Turin). 2017. In RESÒ Lab residencies, artists for a few weeks get acquainted with the local art stage. The exchange is both bilateral and unilateral.RESÒ Lab . RESÒ (Turin). 2017.
In 2013, Byriuchyi Island was visited by Sotheby's representatives, who purchased several painters' works. The residency was also visited by Massimo Melotti, an external relations specialist from Castle of Rivoli museum of contemporary art (Turin).Biruchiy contemporary art project 013 has gathered young artists and painters. Komsomolskaya Pravda in Ukraine (Kyiv). September 18, 2013. In 2014, due to the war in Eastern Ukraine, RESÒ delayed Italian artists' coming to Byriuchyi Island. Nevertheless, in November 2014, , and the curator Sergiy Kantsedal invited by RESÒ, visited the residency of Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto (Biella, Italy)."Indemonstrable," final presentation of the first edition of RESÒ/Lab in the space, firstly in Turin, November 20, 2014 . Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto (Biella). November 2014.
In autumn 2015, RESÒ sent to Byriuchyi Island a delegation of artists from Italy, headed by Massimo Melotti. Byriuchyi became the filming location for a film by Italian film directors , who arrived at the Island immediately after participating in Venice International Film Festival. One of the participants of Biruchiy 016 was the Italian film director and artist Giorgio Cugno. He shot here the fourth part of the film "XAU" with the actor in the lead role. The previous parts of the film were shot in Colombia, Egypt and the USA.From economical cooperation to friendship network. Film XAU by Giorgio Cugno. PIIGS_An Alternative Geography of Curating (Turin). July 2, 2016.
In the autumn of 2017, the Italian artist Franco Ariaudo arrived in Byriuchyi Island. Elaborating upon the theme of the September residence "Running on water...," he started working on a long-term project titled "Basilisk," a set of events to study techniques of running on water.Let's talk RESÒ 7. Art & Education (New York City). October 20, 2017. Franco Ariaudo proceeded with the Basilisk project already in Italy (Turin and Rome) and published a limited edition book "Basilisk or how to run on water" in three languages (Italian, English and Russian). This is a rare case of a separate book dedicated to a single author's art project.
In October–November 2017, members of Biruchiy project Alina Yakubenko and Oleksiy Say visited the residency Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto.Residency programmes for international artists at Cittadellarte-Fall 2017. RESÒ Lab 2017. UNIDEE – University of Ideas, Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto (Biella). October 29, 2017. Biruchiy 018 was held through the help of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Kyiv. The 13th season of the project centers around artistic comprehension of ritual practices of neoshamanism.Doroshenko, K. The inevitability of the ritual. LB.ua (Kyiv). November 14, 2018. The event was visited by Cecilia Guida, PhD and Professor of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna (Bologna, Italy).
Irshansk (Ukraine) . On July 19, 2015, is the starting point of an art intervention of Biruchiy contemporary art project, which expanded the geography of its residence. The first art delegation was welcomed by Irshansk (Zhytomyr Oblast), where a two-week project "Irshansk. Recreation" was carried out. The exposition embraced the urban space and natural landscapes. The project is aimed at promoting cultural decentralization of the country: making the culture creating space go out beyond large centers, to medium-sized cities and small towns.Irshank. Recreation. Ukrayinska Pravda. July 2015.
Klementowice (Poland) . On June 27, 2016, the geography of Biruchiy project extended to Poland. An offsite residence was created in Klementowice, Lublin Voivodeship, on the basis of the M. Ratay Complex of Agribusiness Schools. For 2 weeks, 14 artists creatively worked on the project "From the common root" (). Its concept is based on the metaphorical meaning of the word "root" (the fundamental principle, basic constituent of the structure) and it is an artistic response to manipulations in reconsidering the history of the two countries. The project was held under the patronage of the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland.Bochkar, O. The Ukrainian youth sought for common roots in Polish Klementowice . (Winnica). July 18, 2016.
An educational event, called Biruchiy Art School, was held in Klementowice in January 2017 with the participation of students and young artists. The program included a series of lectures and practical work in workshops.The presentation of Klementovica Biruchiy Art School residency. Lviv National Academy of Arts. May 6, 2017. The Polish land artist visited the residence to give a lecture.
Flux Factory (USA) . In 2017, Biruchiy contemporary art project started cooperating with Flux Factory's artist-in-residence program (Long Island City, NYC). It is a platform, created in the 1990s by seven young Brooklyn artists as an alternative to commercial galleries. Within the framework of an exchange program, a couple of artists, Mykyta Kravtsov and his wife, Camille Sagnes Kravtsova, came to New York City.ThetOOth&therOOt: Camille and Nikita Kravtsov. Flux Factory (New York City). July 13, 2017. After several months of work, their personal exhibition "Armageddon" was presented in the exhibition space of Flux Factory.ThetOOth&therOOt present Armageddon . Long Island City Partnership (Long Island City, NYC). August 2017.
In 2018, according to the exchange program between Flux Factory and Biruchiy project, Anton Lapov came to New York City. The artist realized the 3-hour radio walk "Queens Semantic Ghosts" and audiovisual performance "lap0fvw."Residency exhibition by Anton Lapov. Flux Factory (New York City). December 2018.
Gornji Morinj (Montenegro)